


A Love of Law

by Etnoe



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Carapacian/Human/Troll Society, M/M, Obsession, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-02 08:49:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20273212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Etnoe/pseuds/Etnoe
Summary: An office non-romance.





	A Love of Law

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RoseWithAllHerThorns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseWithAllHerThorns/gifts).

"I'm sorry," is how it starts, which is typical. Of the man, of the resulting interaction, of the whole damn sob story.

An _Excuse me_ would have fit too, but that kind of courtesy is less versatile. Not as warm, the Dignitary might say - as warmth is undeniably what he finds when he glances at the guy who's getting between him and his view of the mandatory workplace morality play. The quirk of the mouth, a belated realisation about the quality of the man's voice, a lingering scent of pipe tobacco... Those little details lend a touch of friendly warmth to him; and then the Dignitary's eyes wander further down, and the fit of the suit says _hot_.

It's grey.

The jacket and pants are, as a matter of wrenching fact, the perfect kind of grey. The exact right kind that he's found sparks up something deep in his gut.

"In your seat?" the Dignitary says. If the gent's dumb enough to respond positively, he'd prefer to know now and settle his thoughts, possibly start contemplating methods of and locations for disposal of corpses. You needed a lot of food for thought to get through workplace morality plays.

"We have a good ten minutes before the play is due to start. I could have resisted imposing on you, Mr Dignitary, but took a chance. Your tie ... would you have notes for achieving such impeccability?"

"Why don't you sit down, Crocker. I'm not expecting SS to take his seat tonight. He's still trying to figure out a meaning for his name he can tolerate."

Crocker, of course that's who this human is. Being everybody's details guy has finally paid off for the Dignitary on a personal level, aside from the godforsaken satisfaction of knowing yourself the only informed and competent person you clap eyes on on a daily basis. This man Crocker is a bit of a legend - one of the few in HR that people had actually wished stayed in HR when CrockerCorp fell to the revolution, resourceful about humans instead of reconstructing them as the first option. Once the company overhaul got to a proper start, Crocker had gone over to the new Research & Development side instead. Better pay. Managed to earn it by getting all the sting out of the cherry pie boxsets - not a jester's feat.

Yeah, this is a serious man. They have their chat about ties and tailors, their fripperies exact and dignified. They shut their traps when it's time for the play - no way is the Dignitary getting assigned to one of these things twice. It ends, and they exchange a few more tips, a few more jokes, a name or two to look up in the interest of wearing proper clothes and maintaining them.

They meeting again. Dare he say it, they seek each other out: There is an understanding here. They like the finer things. And it even gets a little personal when Crocker goes mammalian on him.

"Not a single hair anywhere on me," the Dignitary said, without the kind of dignity that is his due and his duty. He's smirking, and Crocker coughs out of embarrassment he's not going to let win.

"I'm sorry," he says, though, a touch of humour in it. "I mean no offense - it's the shaving afficionado in me - I simply had to know if it was a smooth finish you're sporting, and how you managed it if so."

There's just something about the idea of Crocker with a straight razor. He hasn't even asked if that's what Crocker uses, but the Dignitary can _see_ it. The mental image is begging to become physical. Could he ask for a selfie? Crocker looks like a human who ought to be pretty damn tech-challenged, but with a stint in R&D behind him there's clearly more to his abilities than meets the eye. Or the Dignitary needs to get invited round to the man's house and watch him go at the shaving, precision with a blade. Precision with anything at all. With everything. That was the kind of composed the man was.

What would it take to get him undignified?

Answer: The girl.

There must be a babysitter gone sick, a relative who's away for a vacation, a daycare caught aflame - because it's not bring your bouncing baby anklebiter in to the office day, but there she is. He's got her in a picnic basket, with a mobile made of cake forks and tiny plush bunnies dangling off the handle.

So Crocker can go non-standard after all, in this one spot in his life. Other humans in the office boggle a little at the forks, and the Dignitary can understand that, if he bothers. Little Janie sure isn't any tougher of hide than any other human.

But the really fucked up thing is that the Dignitary tracks the warmth - it's increased. He watches for the smile - the quirk of the mouth is still sweet, and the skin around it fresh and pampered after the morning shave. When some other yahoo at R&D launches a missile in a poorly-chosen direction, Crocker averts it with little Jane in one arm and a staple gun in the other. Then he gives the Dignitary a muffin as his contribution to their over-the-desk lunch.

The Draconian Dignitary is well aware of his limits. Bouncing baby anklebiters? It's not going to happen in any capacity. If he had a conscience, it would even chime in on top of sheer practicality to inform him it was a terrible idea.

He watches the way Crocker's smile dims as he hands over the muffin. 

It's not something awful. He's being friendly. He's still entirely willing to talk. But there's nothing like love in it anymore.

Crocker's smart. He's pretty positive the man's also well aware exactly who and what the Dignitary should be kept away from.

The Dignitary stands up from where he leans against the desk. "I've got to run."

"Indeed? All right then."

"Beg me to stay, why don't you," the Dignitary sighs.

Crocker isn't an indulgent man, though he is an indulgent father. "Have a good day, my friend," he says.

"Sorry," says the Dignitary. And that's just the whole story, after that.


End file.
